Abdullah blames Modi for Assam unrest

Says the BJP prime ministerial candidate branded all Muslims as ‘Bangladeshis’ that left 32 of them dead.

SRINAGAR:

Omar Abdullah, who heads the political administration of Indian Kashmir, has directly blamed Narendra Modi for inciting violence in Assam that left 32 Muslims dead this weekend, the Press Trust of India reported on Saturday.

“In Assam, 30 Muslims were murdered. Why? Because BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi made a speech there and tried to incite people against Muslims. This is a fact. This truth cannot be denied,” Omar told an election rally at Tangmarg in Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency. Abdullah is one of the fiercest foes of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate.



Omar said that Modi, in his election rally in Assam three days earlier, had branded all Muslims living in that state as “Bangladeshis”, which resulted in the attacks on them.

“Three days earlier, he (Modi) went there and branded all Muslims as Bangladeshis and today 30 Muslims have been put to sleep in the grave,” he added.

Referring to Modi’s statement holding National Conference leaders responsible for exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, Omar said the BJP leader had set out to insult all Kashmiris in the country.

Omar also accused the BJP of wanting to divide Jammu and Kashmir into three parts. Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency along with Ladakh Lok Sabha seat in Jammu and Kashmir will go to polls on May 7.



At least 50,000 people have fled their villages in the state’s Kokrajhar and Baska districts since a wave of attacks were unleashed on migrant Muslims allegedly by Bodo tribals. Nine more bodies were recovered on Saturday, including four children, taking the toll to 33.

As the clamour for the arrest of Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) MLA Pramila Rani Brahma — who allegedly instigated the attacks by saying Muslims had voted en masse for a non-Bodo candidate — grew, the BJP attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde of failing to contain the growing tension between the two communities. The PM represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha while the BPF is an ally of the ruling Congress.

“What is happening in Assam is because of the Congress’ vote-bank politics,” the BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad said, adding that Shinde was too excited about probing Snoopgate to speak about the Assam violence.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2014.